1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to message and therapeutic bodywork tables, especially to bodywork tables for use in physical therapy, massage, or other related bodywork activities.
2. Description of Prior Art
Many, if not most health practitioners in the field of massage and other therapeutic bodywork, prefer to use a massage and therapeutic bodywork table that provides a strong working surface, is lightweight, adjustable, and easy to set up and break down for storage.
Heretofore a wide variety of tables have been proposed and implemented for massage and therapeutic bodywork.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,638 to Gillotti discloses a table with a truss suspension system having legs hinge from the ends of the table and diagonal braces extending from the center of the table to attach onto the table legs. The truss system comprised of a cord member of wire rope or flexible material attached to the lower end of the legs and extending the full length of the table parallel to the table surface. Users regarded this type of table as unsatisfactory because the position of the cable interfered with the movements of the user and required the user to connect and disconnect the diagonal braces on one or both ends on setting up or collapsing the table.
Another type of folding table is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,357,729 to Krueger, comprised a collapsible table with strap-like brace members having folding legs at each end. This type of table did not have a support cable system attached to the legs, not did it provide a strong working platform, and tended to be noisy when rocking forces were applied thereto. Also, this type of table required some skill or training on the part of its users to set up and collapse, and provided limited means to adjust height dimensions of the working surface.
A still different approach to folding support structures is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 2,326,461 to Howe. This table considered of a plurality of braces hinged to support legs, and foldable into a carrying case. This support structure relates to tables where the act of folding together the hinged top portions causes collapsing or folding of the support legs. This table was not adjustable, stable, not suitable for bodywork application. Most users, therefore, would find it desirable to have a bodywork table that provides a strong working platform that is quiet even when rocking forces are applied, adjustable, lightweight, easy to set up, collapse, and store.